The war of words between the White House and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic continued on Wednesday, with press secretary Jen Psaki claiming the Republican governor "does not seem to want to participate" in the fight against the virus.
Asked Wednesday about a New York Post op-ed that accused the Biden adminsitration of trying to "kneecap" a successful GOP governor, Psaki replied:"Our war is not on DeSantis, it's on the virus, which we're trying to kneecap."
DeSantis, she added, "does not seem to want to participate in that effort to kneecap the virus, hence our concern."
Psaki also addressed DeSantis saying he was not aware of a request that sent hundreds of ventilators to Florida.
The federal government sent hundreds of ventilators to Florida in recent days, according to multiple reports, as the state continues to deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
DeSantis told reporters Tuesday said that he was unaware of the request: "I would honestly doubt that that's true, but I'll look because we have a lot of stuff that we stockpiled over the last year and a half through the Department of Emergency Management."
At Wednesday's press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki questioned why he would be opposed to federal help as Florida struggles to contain the surge of new COVID-19 cases.
"I saw the remarks and comments by the governor and representatives of the governor," Psaki said. "I would note that, as a policy, we don't send ventilators to states without their interest in receiving the ventilators."
"I think the most important question here is why would you oppose receiving the ventilators when clearly you need those in your state given the percentage of hospitalizations that are occurring," Psaki added.
The news that the Florida Health Department requested 300 ventilators from the federal government was first reported by local ABC affiliate WPLG.
Gov. DeSantis told reporters that he was unaware of the request.
“I have not heard about that, so I have to check to see if that’s true or not. I would honestly doubt that that’s true, but I’ll look,” DeSantis told reporters Tuesday when asked about the shipment. “I've not had any requests across my desk. I have not been notified of that,” he added.
Asked during Wednesday’s White House press briefing whether it was “feasible” that DeSantis was really unaware of the request for federal assistance, Psaki demurred.
“I think that's really a question for the governor and his team,” she said.
In total, the Biden administration sent Florida 200 additional ventilators and 100 additional high-flow nasal cannula kits, which it received earlier this week.
The shipment comes as Florida continues to face record-high numbers of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, fueled by low vaccination rates, coupled with the spread of the highly-contagious delta variant.
On Tuesday, Florida reported more than 15,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to federal data, shattering previous hospitalization records. Roughly 45% of the state’s ICU beds are currently occupied, and in one Florida county, emergency officials pleaded with residents to limit their 911 calls and emergency room visits.
Last month, DeSantis signed an executive order banning mask mandates in Florida schools, breaking with CDC guidance, and has threatened to withhold paychecks from school superintendents and board members who attempt to enforce mask mandates.
Psaki's remarks are the latest in the tet-a-tete between the Biden administration and DeSantis about his leadership during the pandemic.
President Biden on Tuesday said that the effort to ban mask mandates is "totally counterintuitive and, quite frankly, disingenuous."
"When I suggest that people in zones where there's a high risk wear the mask like you all are doing, I'm told that government should get out of the way and not do that. you don't have the authority to do that," Biden said.
"And I find it interesting that some of the very people who are saying that who hold government positions are people who are threatening that if a school teacher asks a student if they've been vaccinated, or if a principal says that everyone in my school should wear a mask if the school board votes for it, that governor will nullify that," Biden continued. "That governor has the authority to say, 'You can't do that.'
"I find that totally counterintuitive and, quite frankly, disingenuous," Biden said, adding that his administration is checking to see whether or not the federal government has the power to intervene